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Nicholas Sandell
The world is a terrible, horrible place. Ask anyone, especialy Nick. Having his eye torn out at 16 was no treat, and having his arm taken off last year wasn't easy either. But somehow he always rebounds, trying not to take life too seriously while trying to do 'the right thing'. What the hell is that, you ask? He'd shrug and make a joke about how it was some crazy idea he once had. But under the cybernetics and sarcastic demeanor is a man looking for something a bit more than this world is handing out. A savant of mechanical apptitude, Nicholas can fix damn near anything. From a TV set on the fritz to the firing mechanism on a jamming M41a, he can do it. Nick even built his own cybernetic systems without the use of those 'pesky nanobots' using mostly scavenged/borrowed parts. He also has a strong affinity for firearms, cheap whiskey, and making some smart-alec remark at the worst (and I do mean the worst) possible time. Background Nicholas Sandell, or Nick as he much... much prefers to be called, came to Midian city two years ago looking for work as a mechanic. Growing up in Dakota wasteland as a nomad was not an easy thing for anyone much less a child, but when pushed to the limit people have a way of bonding in strange ways. His father was chief scrounger and mechanic, responsible for keeping the ramshackle technology of the caravan working. Since most of the governmental power had fled to the big cities after war and catastrophe, the rural part of America was left to it's own devices. Raiders and ruthless Mercs took what they wanted and left little behind, so Nick's life between engine breakdowns and foraging for goods was cut with a healthy dose of gunfighting. He learned a lot on the road besides gun oil and grease. He picked up a smattering of basic medicine from his mother (who was always patching up scrapes, cuts and gunshot wounds), mathematics from the traders and how to read for himself from anyone who'd teach him. He found he loved books, but not as much as he loved old movies. His favorite were, of course, action flicks. Maybe inspired by such icons as Bruce Willas and Sammy Jackson, Nick developed an almost carefree attitude towards the violence and danger in his existence, cracking jokes while running from outlaws and bandits. Maybe he thinks life is a little like the movies, just with better special effects and worse scripts. Even loosing his eye didn't bother him on the surface. He almost laughed it off, saying how lucky it was he wasn't born a cyclops. But he still bears the emotional scars of the incident. Since coming to Midian, he's been shot, stabbed, beaten and generally getting rolled like a cheap cigarette. He lived in an attic with a dancer from the Twilight Zone for a few weeks before he ended it on bad terms. He drifted for an age, renting out rooms for the night whilst he looked for work. When he applied to work for the Mercenaries of Midian, he somewhat understated his abilities in a tough spot, but worked for them as a general maitenance guy as well as doing a taking a few protection contracts. There he met Roaman Enzo and Johnathon Parx, two men who'd save his life and be saved by him in turn over and again. But when they joined the new outfit, Black Star Military services, Nick decided he'd prefer to remain independant and did not join up. At least not right away... All was fairly smooth until the night Nicholas was accosted by threedemons in the back alleys of Midian. They beat him, shot him, tortured him and nearly took his other eye. They mangled his left arm, leaving it a burned, flayed and ruined mess. When he was finally found in an alley, barely alive and not sure how he got there, the doctors saw no other choice but to remove his arm. He took the loss hard, drinking and picking fights and generally wallowing in his own self-destruction. He eventually came out on the other side of the ordeal, thanks partly to a Neko woman named Rhapsody Heartsdale. But the scars of the amputation haunt him still. Nicholas and BlackStar Nicholas finally began working for the Black Star company, having been thrust into the possition almost reluctantly during the MPD scandal over weapons smuggling. He was very familiar with Black Star as his two best friends were Operators, and he'd worked with them on some small asignments. But when they asked him to join, he was still surprised as hell. Having been a freelance Merc most of the time, suddenly finding himself in a formal military outfit took some getting used to, especialy given the circumstances at the time. Not only was he supposed to be professional, Black Star were charged with policing the city while the police were under investigation. He was excited to have a badge and everything, but the responsibility was hard to deal with. But despite his misgivings, Nick served loyally as one of their Operators on missions that require technical expertise or long distance shooting, his 'unique' cybernetics making him an ideal sniper. He spends his downtime in the BS bunker, working on a project or three in the shop or cajolling with his close friends. Cybernetics Nicholas has had the mixed fortune of having some extensive bionic replacements in his life. They are listed as follows: Right Eye - Entire eye has been replaced with a cybernetic lense that captures images in the IR range as well as normal visual spectrum. It can be set as a mini camera, has 5x zoom capabilities, a flash dampener and can be linked to certain weapon scopes if he's had time to modify them. The eye is attached to his empty socket and his right temple but can be removed. It is uncomfortable to pull it out and it leaves him feeling slightly disoriented. Left Arm - From the shoulder down has been replaced with a scratch-built cybernetic limb with strength slightly greater than that of a well-muscled human. The shoulder and bicep is covered in synthetic flesh but the arm has several exposed parts in the forearm, but it's durrable design makes it able to withstand glancing blows in combat. The hand has been replaced with several blade-like appendages that are sharp but not razor. The wrist can spin 360 at high speeds. Head - Skull has been layered and laced with micro circuitry and 1/32mm titanium bands. This is to support a network of dreadlock like appendages that, when exposed, increase his sense of smell, hearing and awareness to very high degress. Unfortunatly it also gives him a very bad headache. Cables can retract into the skull and appear normal. Internal Organs - Kidneys and Liver. Can mask blood type if given an hour to refilter and tool the blood, also helps him to get over poisons and toxins quicker, but not instantly. It also makes gettind drunk or high very, very difficult. Involvement Nicholas was employed by Black Star Military Services as 'Top, or First Sergeant. In his spare time he was often seen lounging around the Peep Show and chatting up the girls. He had on occasion partaken of something more than liquor, but he mostly liked talking to the Dolls and catching up on gossip. That was before he had severed his ties to BMS. Now he wanders the streets and experiments on himself to add new and interesting technology to his mangled and torn body. His throat and chest are livid with scar tissue from operations in the Black Clinics to repair damage from various knifings, burnings and other unpleasentness that seems to find him in Midian. Strategy Nick is a do-er more than a thinker, but he does a fair share of the later. He prefers long-ranged weapons like rifles and heavy weapons when in combat, but is fairly competant at hand to hand(mostly thanks to Johnathon and Debra beating the snot out of him in training). He has a sharp wit and never, never takes things too seriously if he can avoid it. He has it in for people acting harder than they really are and has no time for tough-guys or girls. He also hates swords... hates. Quotes - "Whatdya mean the Bren Gun is out of style? This is a classic piece of injury-inducing firearm!" - "Oh fuck me lady I just came in for a drink... Just put the god damn sword down..." - "Look at this! I got a badge and everything!" - "I'll say this for the Legion, at least they aint bursting outta people's chests and have acid for blood... what?" - "We all realize this is a paramilitary organization. If we didn't have confidence in our commanders, we'd join the MPD." - "Shooting up creepy guys in kilts is thirsty work!" Trivia - Accent and speech pattern modeled after Nathan Fillion. - Player is an avid fan of Transmetropolitan, Blade Runner, Aliens as well as the Cyberpunk genre of sci-fi. See also * Link External links * External link Category:characters